


Love Like An Ocean

by Semper_Sehun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anal Fingering, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Merman! Jongin, Sailor! Sehun, Smut, Water Sex, a hint at reincarnation AU, kind of, questionable merman anatomy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:00:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semper_Sehun/pseuds/Semper_Sehun
Summary: Every single story Sehun has heard about merpeople had painted a horryifing picture of the water creatures in his mind. When his ship is attacked by a swarm of them, a young, beautiful merman shows him that maybe not all of them are as deadly as the tales had made them out to be.OrJongin's swarm of merpeople shipwrecks Sehun ship. After spotting the gorgeous human, Jongin decides not to drag him underwater into death but instead takes him to a lonely island and tries to court him.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 19
Kudos: 139





	Love Like An Ocean

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sehunagenda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sehunagenda/gifts).



> Hello! It's been a while since I posted.  
> This fic was written for Ann! I hope this fic will help you to feel a little better. I'm wishing you all the best and a quick recovery! Ily ♥️ 
> 
> To everyone else that's reading this: I hope you will enjoy the fic too ♥️
> 
> The biggest thanks to my wonderful beta reader @blessedaes (on Twitter) 💕

It wasn’t lightning that struck Sehun one fateful day at sea, it was the image of an otherworldly creature, so beautiful and deadly that even the old tales had warned them of ever meeting one. And yet, Sehun’s eyes fluttered shut and his body went limp as strong arms wrapped around him, dragging him down into the black depths of the deepest sea.

🌊🌊🌊

They hadn’t seen any of it coming. Maybe it was the unexpectedness of the incident, the attack without a warning, that led to the following events. With just a little cloud in the sky, or some winds tugging on their sails maybe they would have known what was to come. However, when Sehun had looked across the wide ocean just minutes before the disaster, he would not have been able to picture the horrifying scenes.

The impact against the side of the ship came without a warning. A shock went through the wooden planks of the ship, making the ground between the sailors’ feet tremble. Before anyone could process the movement properly, another shockwave went through the ship, harder now. Yet, what was most terrifying about the second impact was the sound of cracking wood that accompanied it.

Yelled orders began to fill the air. Motion set in on the ship, bodies rushing to check all crucial parts of the ship, securing dangerous goods and looking for fractures in the body of the ship.

Sehun had been lounging in the sun, enjoying one of his breaks when it had happened. Following his captain’s orders, he ran inside the ship, creaking wooden stairs leading him into sticky air inside the large ship. However, it was not the sound of the wood bending beneath his feet that made his heart plummet into his stomach, it was the sound of water. Strong, untamed, and close. Oh so close. Sehun rounded the corner and stepped into the storage room where most of their cargo was stored. Instead of neatly stacked and arranged barrels and boxes, chests and sacks, was water. So much water. It had already begun to touch his feet, flooding the ground and rising by the second as more and more rushed into the ship through the tiny hole at the right side of the ship that Sehun was looking at now. In front of him, there were sailors already trying to fix the cargo while others fruitlessly attempted to close up the hole but it seemed like with every nail they tried to hammer into the wet wood, the gaping hole seemed to open up even wider.

Then the ship tilted.

More water filled up the room at a more rapid speed. Sehun had rushed towards the hole, no tools in his hand and unsure what to do, but he wanted to help. However, before he could reach his mates, his eyes landed on him.

A blurry face, just for a split second, appeared behind a wave coming crashing into the ship. The image had been so faint that for a millisecond, Sehun had thought it to be a ghost. Blinking, he almost tripped when the ship tilted even more to the side again, the water almost up to his waist now. Just when Sehun wanted to open his mouth to scream for more wood, a wave pulled him in, right through the hole and out of the ship.

Sehun swallowed water.

Endless blue filled every space around him. Floating in a large nothingness, Sehun’s eyes opened and closed, flashes of blue blue blue – and something else, something dark, something  _ alive –  _ surrounding him. His limbs moved, his arms and legs kicking and stroking through the water to make it to the surface. With his eyes barely open, fixated on the light above him, the light that meant life, air,  _ breathing _ , Sehun tried to make it to the surface.

Suddenly, something pulled on his leg. Kicking back, Sehun didn’t look down, didn’t want to use more power than necessary. His lungs burned, his arms and legs were about to give out, but the surface seemed so close. Bubbles escaped his nose and mouth when another strong tug pulled him down. With declining power, Sehun looked down, only to see dark eyes staring back at him, green hair floating around a beautiful face. “This is it.” Sehun thought as he felt his consciousness slip away, eyes rolling back as strong arms wrapped around him. Then, everything went black.

🌊🌊🌊

Humans. Pitiful creatures, if one were to ask Jongin. With their weird limbs that extruded from their hips and their lack of gills, they seemed pretty weak to him, nothing more than easy prey. However, all the humans Jongin had seen before had never been like this one. Confusion had clouded his judgment when he’d laid eyes on the pretty human for the first time, looking at him through the water back when the man had still been on the ship. The second time he’d seen him he was floating in the water, more humans around him but Jongin hadn’t cared about them. His flock would take care of them, he was sure about that. Therefore, Jongin didn’t have to worry at all and could fully focus on the pretty human in front of him. Black hair floated around his face, eyes fluttering shut as if he couldn’t keep them open. Small but full lips were pressed shut to keep in all the air as if it could make him survive longer beneath the water. Jongin’s fingers had curled around his ankle, dragging him deeper while the man struggled to reach the surface.

They had intended to feed. With only fishes and corals on their daily menu, they’d been ecstatic to have a ship enter their territory. Plans had been made in a hurry and put into place within mere hours. Breaking open the body of the ship had been as easy as always, their weapons perfectly built to break through the strong wooden walls. He had felt the energy vibrate through himself, his strong tail propelling him forward with force, just like the others beside him. Merpeople were strong, much stronger than the human tales made them out to be. It was to their advantage, continuously underestimated, although most stories that were told about them were horror stories to begin with.

Yet, they were mostly considered to kidnap already shipwrecked individuals. Oh, how wrong humans were.

Jongin’s arms wrapped around the pretty human’s waist. He felt slim, but not unhealthily so. Glancing around, Jongin checked to see if anybody was paying attention to him. Around him, his brothers and sisters were dragging the humans down to their village at the depths of the ocean, hidden in the coral reefs. Normally, Jongin would have been the first to reach the village, known for his strength and speed that beat everyone’s in the swarm, at least among the younger merpeople. However, when his eyes moved over the slope of a strong nose again, got caught by long lashes and parted lips, Jongin decided to do something he’d never done before. Instead of swimming downward, following his people, he swam to the surface of the ocean, dragging the unconscious man with him.

🌊🌊🌊

The man was still not moving, even after Jongin had dumped him on the island. It had been the closest place to where the ship had sunk and Jongin had often visited the little island when he’d wanted to have some privacy to bathe in the sun and watch the fish play in the shallow water at the shore. Now, he’d rolled the human on the beach as far as he could allow himself to leave the water to do so before moving back into the shallow water, lying on his stomach as he watched the man’s chest rise up and down regularly. He was still breathing, and weirdly enough, Jongin was excited about that. Considering that less than half an hour ago he’d still wanted to eat him, he was now very much invested in keeping the man alive. In the sun, he looked even prettier, his black hair splayed over his face and the ground. The white fabric of his shirt clung to his body, half see-through and accentuating every inch of his upper body. There was something black wrapped around his waist, pulling in the shirt. It highlighted how slim his waist was and Jongin couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Just when he had rolled around on his back and stretched out his fin to poke the man with it carefully; like he’d done it a couple of times already, the man suddenly moved.

Stilling, Jongin watched as the man stirred, life moving back into his limbs. First, his fingers twitched a little, tiny motions going through them. Then, his lips parted. A second later, his eyes blinked open, instantly closing again as they were met with harsh sunlight. When they seemed to have gotten used to it; even though he was still squinting, the man slowly turned his head until his eyes landed on Jongin.

🌊🌊🌊

Sunlight blinded him. There was a burning sensation spreading through his body, centering at his chest. His lungs felt like they’d been set on fire. A second later Sehun was doubled over, retching and throwing up into the ocean. It was nothing but water that came out and Sehun started coughing. It took him almost a minute until he began to calm down, the pain in his body slowly beginning to ebb away. The creature had been watching him the whole time. He’d been the first thing Sehun had seen when he’d opened his eyes, but at first, he’d believed it to be a hallucination.

Only now that he was slowly coming to his senses, he started to properly notice his surroundings. White sand moved beneath him when he sat back, the sounds of waves crashing on the beach filling his ears. There was no chatter of his crew, not even the screaming from when the ship had-

The ship. His crew.

Sehun’s eyes grew wide as the memories kept pouring back and realization was beginning to sink in.

Looking around hectically, Sehun barely registered anything of the island he was on. All he had eyes for was the wide sea in front of him that showed not a single trace of a ship.

“Where did you take me? What did you do?” Sehun whispered, looking at the man that was still resting in the water about two meters away. His lower half was hidden by the water but Sehun could see something green shining through that didn’t look like corals or algae. It looked like a… fin.

“What did you do? Who are you?” Sehun asked carefully. “Are you a… fish…man?”

🌊🌊🌊

“A fishman?” Never in his life had Jongin been called something this… offensive. Merpeople prided themselves in their fin and tail and although they could be considered fish-like, they were something entirely else, a unique species in the ocean that regarded themselves as the royalty of the sea.

“Do you even know who you’re talking to? I’m Kim Jongin, son of Kim Jongsik, knight of the prince. One day, I will be the knight to a king. You dare to insult me?”

The human looked at him like Jongin was talking in a foreign language.

“I am not a fishman.” Jongin added to clarify. “I am a merman.”

Once again, Sehun just stared. There was a look in his eyes that Jongin couldn’t interpret. He still looked sickly pale and somehow, this wasn’t what he’d envisioned when he’d decided to not drag the man down to the depths of the ocean and his death but instead took him to an uninhabited island nearby. What he’d expected to happen, he wasn’t sure. The only thing he’d known was that the man had intrigued him and even now, Jongin just wanted to run his fingers through his pretty hair and over his smooth skin.

“Why don’t you say something?” Jongin asked, head tilting a little. “Humans are weird. I thought you’d be fun.”

“Fun? If I’m not mistaken, your people just sunk my ship. You killed my colleagues!” The man suddenly looked angry.

“Well, I didn’t kill you. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?” Jongin’s fin flopped behind him, sending droplets of water into the air that then landed on Sehun whose face scrunched up.

“I’d rather drown than thank you.”

“Well, there’s the ocean. You’re free to do so.” Jongin huffed and folded his arms, dipping under the surface of the water for a moment before resurfacing with only his eyes peeking out of the water, stare directed at Sehun as if to provoke him by demonstrating that he could in fact breathe underwater.

Of course, the man didn’t drown himself. Instead, he tried to get up, however, his legs didn’t want to work at first. His first attempt ended up with him crashing into the sand again, lips pressed together. Jongin was watching him the whole time, smiling underwater as he saw the human struggle.

Eventually, he got up onto his feet though and started staggering away from Jongin towards the line of trees that were rising behind the broad beach he’d brought Sehun to. That was when Jongin realized this was going into a direction – quite literally – that he did not enjoy.

“What do you think you’re doing? Come back.” He called out as he resurfaced from the water, moving forward as far as he could without feeling like he was going to get stranded any second.

“Why should I? I’m gonna see if I find anything edible here. Or people.” The man called back. He realized that he still didn’t know his name and that bothered him.

“Come back. I was talking to you. I don’t even know your name, pretty human.” He protested.

He wasn’t sure what it was, but something in his words must have at least convinced the man to stop walking. He still wasn’t looking his way though.

“I can get you food. Fish, shrimp, seaweed, whatever you want.” Jongin added, his tail pushing him forward just a little more. If he went any further, he would seriously risk getting pushed onto the sand by the waves.

“I can’t really just eat raw fish.” The man was looking at him over his shoulder now, still looking annoyed but there was interest in his eyes.

Food it was then. Jongin now knew how to get to him.

“I can.. figure something out. I will get you something. Don’t go away, okay? I won’t hurt you. There are no people on this island, just some animals. Monkeys, snakes, birds, some rodents… That’s about it. You don’t have to look for humans. So… just stay here and I will bring you something to eat.”

He could see the hesitance in the human’s eyes, the fight with himself whether to trust Jongin or head into the forest. Jongin could pinpoint the exact moment he realized that he was going to listen to him and when the man actually took a tentative step towards him, he had to stop himself from smiling too brightly.

“How do you know there are no people here? You can’t even step on the island, let alone move around.” The man’s eyes were narrowed. It looked kind of attractive, just like the rest of him. Jongin wished he would stop being so annoying.

“I always come here to relax or when I want to be alone. I sit on the rocks over there” Jongin nodded towards a formation of rocks near the shore, “and just enjoy some time alone. I often watch the island, so I’ve seen several kinds of animals move on the beach or in the trees. But not once I saw a human. The island is pretty small too. I can swim around it in about an hour and a half. I’m not lying to you.”

“Why should I trust you?” The man’s words were harsh, but Jongin could hear the exhaustion in his words.

Pushing himself back into deeper water, Jongin met his eyes.

“It’s not really about the why, isn’t it? I’m the only one that can help you, you don’t really have an option. However”, Jongin paused, sending the man a flirty smirk. “I really do want to help you though. You’re a beautiful human, the most beautiful human I’ve ever seen. I want you to feel good, it would be a pity if you died.”

“You’re really weird, fishman.”

“Fish- if you call me that offensive word again, I will leave you on this island and never return.” Jongin glared at him and used his fin to splash water into his direction again. The man just chuckled. It was the first time Jongin had seen him do something close to laughing or actually smile, and it blew his mind. If the man looked good while glaring, he looked even better when he smiled.

“Whatever, fishman.” The man grinned, seemingly happy to have found something that annoyed Jongin. “You just said I’m too pretty for you to let me die. Can’t you handle a little teasing?”

“You don’t know who you’re talking to, I’m a knight of the –“

“-prince, I know. But you’re not a prince.” The man pointed out. “I’m hungry. Maybe I will stop calling you that if you get me some food.”

Suddenly, it felt like the tables had turned and Jongin didn’t like that one bit. He dived underwater and swam away from the shore a little, trying to figure how to go about this. When he resurfaced, Sehun was looking mildly lost and Jongin realized that maybe his teasing was just putting on a tough act after all.

“I’ll be back. Don’t go on the island. Who knows if these snakes in the trees are venomous.” Jongin called out to him. A moment before he dove again, the man’s voice reached his ears.

“Sehun. My name is Sehun. And I prefer fish over shrimp.”

Water filled Jongin’s ears, strong pulses of his tail pushing him through the water after he dipped beneath the surface again.

Sehun.

What a pretty name. Just as pretty as his owner. This was going to be interesting.

🌊🌊🌊

Sehun was confused. After being shipwrecked, kidnapped, and almost having drowned, he shouldn’t be feeling this… relaxed. Maybe it was the calm before the storm, the shock still sitting in his bones, keeping his mood mellow before anxiety would come crashing into him like a tsunami.

The merman had caught his interest. Of course, he knew what Jongin was, he’d heard the tales of the merpeople before. In the first seconds his eyes had landed on Jongin, he’d still not been fully conscious, thus resulting in him referring to Jongin as a fishman. It was the other’s reaction that had made him keep up using the word because it was simply hilarious to see the merman get worked up about it.

From the tales he had been told, the underwater folk had always been made out to be extremely horrifying and murderous. While the latter might be true, Sehun wasn’t so sure about the first one. Obviously, the merman had had no qualms in helping to sink his ship and have his crew dying, at the same time he seemed to be interested in keeping Sehun alive. Viewing it this way, he could probably actually be thankful for the other picking him and taking him to this island, even if it didn’t seem like it was the perfect space for him to survive on. All that mattered now was that he was still alive. What happened after, he would see once Jongin returned, hopefully with food that was edible.

The merman was really fascinating. From what Sehun had been able to see of him just yet, he looked incredibly beautiful. His sharp facial features were broken up by plump lips and surprisingly soft eyes. Every inch of his body was screaming power, from his arms to his chest, to the muscular tail that helped to propel him through the water. Maybe this was what all the stories were about: merpeople were so beautiful that once you looked at them, you were already spellbound.

Sehun’s eyes moved over the ocean again, wondering if he could see the merman somewhere under the surface. All that greeted him was endless blue though, no traces of green hair and a green tail. It should have probably concerned him when Sehun found himself being almost disappointed about that, but he decided to push these thoughts aside.

His stomach growled. Looking down, Sehun realized that he was still wearing his soaking wet clothes. As he stripped out of his clothes to let them dry, just leaving on his underwear, his eyes kept going back to the ocean.

He just hoped that Jongin would be back soon.

🌊🌊🌊

Jongin had a plan.

His first instinct had been to catch some fish quickly and then present them to Sehun, hoping he’d like them. After the man had revealed that he didn’t enjoy raw fish though, Jongin quickly had to adjust to the change of plan.

_ Sehun. _

Sehun, Sehun, Sehun.

His name was nice. He felt a little giddy knowing his name now. It felt like he had made progress, into which direction though, he wasn’t sure. He just felt like it was the right one.

Instead of heading to the coral reefs to go hunting, Jongin had decided to swim back to where they’d attacked the ship.

Unlike earlier, he dove deeper once he’d reached the spot, eyes scanning his surroundings for what he was searching for. It took him a few minutes, but then he spotted something floating below him. A smile spread on his lips.

The first item from the ship that he’d found was a chest filled with gold coins. They were pretty, but not really what Jongin had been looking for. He grabbed a few for Sehun anyway, hoping that the human would enjoy his gift. He’d heard that humans liked gold and considered it a precious metal and even fought wars to obtain it. If it was so valuable to them, Sehun would certainly like him more if he gave him some of it. He decided to stuff it into the tightly knit net that he’d picked up in one of the many spots where he hid some of his belongings. This area of the ocean was Jongin’s home, and he had little spots here and there where he stashed some things that were helpful to him. A net hidden in a coral reef there, a spear hidden in the sand in the stingray territory… Jongin had things stashed wherever he went.

Throwing the net with the gold coins over his shoulder, the young merman continued his journey. Swimming from barrel to barrel, he looked through all the goods that had previously been loaded on Sehun’s ship and were now floating freely through the ocean.

It was about the tenth barrel that Jongin opened when he finally had success. Fruits came floating his way and a grin spread on his face. Quickly collecting as many apples, bananas, and oranges as he could fit into his net, Jongin felt confident as he eyed his loot. Yet, he decided to check some more barrels before he went back to Sehun – not without catching him some fish after all of course – and was ecstatic to find another barrel that carried some vegetables that he didn’t recognize but certainly could be of use for Sehun. Taking some of the fruit out and swapping them out for vegetables, Jongin decided that he’d collected enough for now and that it was time to go hunting.

As a skilled hunter, it didn’t take long for him to catch enough fish for Sehun and then even some for him to snack on while the other ate. Happy with his yield, it was finally time to head back.

As Jongin rounded the corner of a coral reef, something suddenly collided with him.

🌊🌊🌊

The sun was burning down from the sky mercilessly. The sand beneath his feet was burning, but Sehun had long given up just sitting around.

The merman was taking quite some time. More than an hour must have passed since he’d left, judging from the movement of the sun. Sehun knew how to read the time from it well, already having learned it as a child.

He wondered if he was still far away from home. They were supposed to have arrived at the port of his home country in just two days, but now Sehun wasn’t sure if he was ever going to step on familiar ground again.

His eyes moved to the edge of the forest again. After what Jongin had said about the animals, Sehun certainly did not want to enter it any longer, but at the same time, he wondered if there really were dangerous animals in there or if Jongin had just been trying to manipulate him.

Walking back to where he remembered seeing Jongin last, Sehun sat down on the beach again after all. He felt restless, but wherever he went, he felt like he was going to miss Jongin’s return. He felt torn.

The sound of the waves wasn’t loud enough to drown out the noise of his thoughts and he hoped that Jongin’s voice would soon pull him out of his misery.

🌊🌊🌊

"Jongin! I was looking for you... Where did you go?"

The merman that had bumped into Jongin was now staring at him with wide eyes, a deep blue fin carrying the man through the water. Baekhyun was quite a bit smaller than Jongin, but his best friend had such a big personality to make up for it. "There are celebrations in the city about the ship we wrecked." The other merman told him as if Jongin didn’t know that.

"I didn't feel like it."

Of course, out of any people, Baekhyun would find him. His best friend, the person that knew him best would know immediately that something was up. Jongin missing out on festivities? Very unlikely. At the same time, he wondered what Baekhyun had been doing in this part of the sea, it was quite far away from their home.

"You didn't feel like it? But you were so excited about the mission." Baekhyun wondered, soft blue hair floating around his pretty face. Iridescent scales littered the edge of his cheeks where his hair began, just like for Jongin, but instead of the rich golden color of Jongin’s scales, Baekhyun had more of a silver and purple tint.

"Well, I changed my mind," Jongin replied, not really wanting to engage in a conversation. Trying to swim past Baekhyun, the other immediately blocked his way. Serving with him in the prince’s circle of guards, he knew how to stop Jongin.

"... You're lying to me." Baekhyun observed, arms folding in front of his chest.

"I'm not lying." Jongin insisted.

Baekhyun snorted, pointing at the side of his head.

"Your ears are turning red."

"I'm not lying," Jongin repeated if it made his statement truer and reached out to cover up his ears, a pout forming on his lips.

For a second, both of them were silent, Baekhyun’s eyes boring into Jongin’s.

"Okay, I got distracted, fine." Jongin eventually admitted with a roll of his eyes. Up until now, Baekhyun had always been able to catch his lies, why did he think it would be any different now? The thing was, he didn’t want to tell him about Sehun. Although they were best friends, he was afraid of the other’s opinion on this. There were some strict rules in their kingdom and the mission had aimed to annihilate the ship and the crew. By kidnapping Sehun and taking him to an island and then even collecting food for him, Jongin wasn’t exactly following the mission anymore.

"Distracted by what? That must have been a very exciting thing." Baekhyun wondered.

"It's none of your business."

"When did you start being so secretive?" His best friend asked, knowing Jongin too well to be offended by the tone of his voice. "Or should I put it in other words: when did you start being such a dick?"

"It's not a big deal."

"It's not a big deal." Baekhyun imitated him in a mocking tone. "Either way, since you're not telling me... I will not tell you about the exciting thing I found either."

Of course, that caught Jongin’s attention. "What did you find?"

With a smirk, Baekhyun raised a brow. "Why should I tell you when you're not telling me?"

"That's not-" Jongin started but his friend cut him off.

"It is the same, Jongin. Don't even start." He grinned. "However, since I'm not as much of a dick as you are... I will show you either way."

"Baekhyun-" Jongin once again began but Baekhyun just kept talking.

"I know, I know. I'm amazing. No need to thank me."

"That's not what I-"

"Yes, yes, thank you." Baekhyun laughed and turned around, looking back at Jongin over his shoulder. “Now follow me.”

"A boat?"

They had broken through the surface of the sea just seconds ago. From underwater, Jongin had already seen the shape of the boat contrasting against the surface of the water, yet he hadn’t believed that this really was what Baekhyun had wanted to show him though.

"Not the boat, Jongin! The things inside!" Baekhyun rolled his eyes and motioned Jongin to follow him. Leaping out of the water, Baekhyun hooked his arms over the sidewalls of the boat to look at its inside. It was a really small boat, probably one that was stashed on the ship for emergencies or to head to islands when they had to anchor the ship in open water. Inside the boat, there were several little boxes and sacks, but what caught his attention was an opened treasure chest.

"This is... Are those pearls?" Jongin asked in awe.

With a proud grin, Baekhyun nodded. "It looks like it."

"Where did they get these from? I've never seen pearls with such a color." Jongin wondered, reaching out to run his fingers through the pearls. There had to be hundreds of them. Maybe the person that had taken the boat had tried to save these from… them.

"Me neither. They're beautiful." Baekhyun nodded and watched the pearls moving between Jongin’s fingers. They had a soft pink tint and he’d never seen any like these before.

"They must be from far, far away. I wonder how the human got them. They can't breathe underwater." Jongin mumbled, mesmerized by them. Yet, his mind was already thinking about something else. He had been thinking ever since his eyes had first landed on the boat…

"Maybe they stole them." Baekhyun looked at him and then back at the pearls.

"Maybe." Jongin hummed. "What are you gonna do with them? You have to tell the king."

"I know... I guess I just wanted to keep this to myself for a while. They're just... so pretty. I will probably never see them again after this." Baekhyun almost sounded like he felt guilty for not having told the king yet. Jongin was surprised that he hadn’t yet either.

"I guess so..." He nodded, still staring at the pearls but not really looking this time. His mind was rattling.

"Do you think... we should keep one?" Baekhyun sounded unsure but also excited. "I mean... it's not like we're stealing from the king. I found them. A human was in the boat trying to get away. I stopped them."

"Ah..." He could tell Baekhyun definitely wanted to keep one.

"Isn't this exciting?"

"Can I have the boat?"

Jongin’s question completely threw Baekhyun off.

"What?"

"I asked if I can have the boat."

"What do you need a boat for?" Looking at Jongin like he’d just grown a pair of horns, Baekhyun looked like he couldn’t wrap his head around why exactly Jongin wanted to talk about the boat rather than the pearls. He couldn’t exactly blame him for not understanding, however, in his mind Jongin perfectly made sense.

"I just... want it. It's pretty." Okay, maybe that was a lie. He didn’t think the boat was pretty, but it was crucial for the plan that was forming in front of his eyes.

"There are literally beautiful pearls in front of you and you want a boat." Baekhyun deadpanned.

"It's a nice boat."

"You don't need a boat. You're a merman."

"It's a nice boat."

Baekhyun looked at Jongin as if he had lost his marbles. "Well, whatever man. I don't need the boat. Just... take a pearl too, okay? That way I won't feel so bad for taking one."

"Okay." If that was all that Baekhyun wanted for him to take the boat, he would definitely take one of the pretty pearls too.

Shaking his head, Baekhyun snorted. "You seem less excited about the pearl than the boat."

"No, they’re beautiful!" Jongin insisted but he knew that it was in vain.

"You're a mystery today, Jongin. Either way, will I see you at the feast later?"

Swallowing, Jongin suddenly felt a little nervous.

"Yeah, I'll be there. Don't wait for me though." He was sure that he wasn’t going to be there. If he was going to push through with his plan, he wouldn’t be back home anytime soon but he couldn’t exactly tell Baekhyun that.

"You're not getting yourself into trouble, are you?" His friend suddenly asked, worry clouding his voice and eyes.

"No... What are you thinking?" Jongin asked, trying to act innocent.

"It's not too far-fetched." Baekhyun pointed out when suddenly something caught his eyes. "Wait, are those fruits in your bag?"

Shit, he’d spotted the net thrown over Jongin’s shoulder filled with fruit. He’d forgotten about that already, how was he going to explain that to him?

"Huh? Oh yeah, found them in the ocean." Well, that wasn’t a lie.

Baekhyun looked like he wanted to smash Jongin’s head against the boat after that answer. "What do you need them for?" He asked instead.

"Uh... I- I wanna feed them to the seals."

"... Okay." It was obvious that Baekhyun wasn’t buying it, but he couldn’t exactly tell him about Sehun. After everything, he’d managed to hide this from Baekhyun up until now and he wasn’t going to ruin this over some fruit.

His best friend was looking at him as if he could see the cogs rattling within his head. It was clear that something was up, he just didn’t know what. At the same time, he had quickly realized that Jongin did not want to tell him and at this point, he just had to accept that.

"Don't do anything stupid, yeah?" He asked, patting Jongin’s shoulder gently. Instantly, Jongn felt bad for lying to his best friend. Baekhyun didn’t deserve this treatment, especially not after just accepting that Jongin was hiding something from him. Once he was back, he was going to explain everything to Baekhyun but now was not the time. His friend was trusting him, and Jongin was incredibly thankful for it.

"I never do stupid things." He smiled at Baekhyun, meeting his eyes again and giving him a big grin.

Baekhyun just laughed and shook his head.

“Whatever man, let me just take the treasure chest and then you can take off with your boat.”

With that, they both reached out to take one of the pearls. Rolling it around in his palm, Jongin marveled at its beauty.

The treasure chest fell shut.

🌊🌊🌊

When Sehun saw the boat coming towards him at the edge of the horizon, he couldn’t identify it as one at first. Only when it got closer, he could make out what it was, and once realization set in, his heart began to hammer in his chest.

This was it. This was his salvation.

Jumping to his feet, Sehun began waving like crazy, shouting until his throat felt like he’d swallowed the sand beneath his feet.

In his excitement, he didn’t realize that nobody was sitting in the boat. Only when his eyes caught sight of a flash of a green fin bursting through the waves next to the boat, Sehun began to really look.

With every meter that the boat came closer, anxiety began to substitute the adrenaline in his veins.

His voice was barely above a whisper when he saw the now familiar face emerge from the water once the boat was only a hundred meters away.

“Jongin?”

🌊🌊🌊

"Where did you get the boat from?" Was the first thing Jongin was greeted with when he made it to Sehun, who had walked back into the water to meet Jongin halfway. He’d taken off his shirt and pants to let them dry it seemed and Jongin would be lying if he didn’t stare at Sehun as he came towards him, muscular chest and long legs on display. Now he wished he would never wear clothes at all. Humans were kind of stupid, wearing ugly clothes that hid their beautiful bodies. It was a pity.

"It's from your ship." He replied, happy that Sehun was actually coming towards him. He didn’t feel very comfortable coming too close to the shore, but he quickly realized that the interest in Sehun’s eyes wasn’t directed at him but rather the boat. A hand coming up to touch the wood of the boat, Sehun’s eyes moved over its sides to check if there were any leaks or broken parts.

"The ship? Did it not go down?" He asked, glancing at Jongin for a moment before eye-fucking the boat again, at least that was how Jongin saw it.

With a huff, Jongin just shrugged. He didn’t enjoy not being the center of attention but a boat receiving it instead. Maybe that was how Baekhyun must have felt with the pearls earlier.

"No... I meant it rather like it's something that was left from your ship." He explained, the slight disappointment in Sehun’s eyes upon hearing that not going unnoticed.

"Ah..."

"Do you like it?" Jongin asked although the question seemed redundant. "The boat I mean."

Instead of answering him, Sehun continued to ask more questions though. "Why did you bring it to me?"

"So you could go home of course!"

"You're- you're letting me go?"

It was the first time since he’d come back to Sehun that the other truly looked at him. Even though that was what he’d wanted the whole time, the expression in Sehun’s eyes felt so honest and surprised. It almost hurt him that he didn’t believe that Jongin wanted to do him any good but on the other side, he figured that that was probably just reasonable.

"I... have to admit that wasn't my original idea.” Jongin sighed. “But then I met a friend by accident and he told me about the ship he'd found. Don't worry, nobody knows you're here. But yeah, I decided to take the boat because I figured that's the only way you could ever go home. And... yeah, I just thought it was the right thing to do."

It was the truth. When he’d first started collecting fruit, he’d tried to come with a plan that would guarantee Sehun’s survival on the island. He hadn’t been able to find a solution until then, but he’d figured he was just going to make it work step by step. When Baekhyun had shown up with the boat, however, things had started to fall into place.

Admittedly, the idea of letting Sehun go wasn’t his favored option. At the same time, he knew it was the only one that would guarantee the other’s well-being. For some reason, it was really important for him that Sehun felt good and he couldn’t stand the stress and anxiety in his body language. He’d thought that it would be nice to keep him on the island to play with but in the end, Jongin wasn’t a sadist. He couldn’t enjoy his time with Sehun if the other was unhappy. Evidently, he hadn’t really thought it through when he’d abducted him – now he liked to call it ‘saved him from drowning – but he was trying to make up for that now. Maybe this was the good deed of his life, saving a poor human from drowning after being shipwrecked.

Sehun was looking at him with a weird expression. He was smiling, but it wasn’t a happy one. Jongin didn’t understand. Before he could ask, Sehun already began talking.

"That's- that's really nice of you Jongin...but if I took the boat home... I'd be dead in a couple of days. What am I supposed to eat? With the large ship, we would have sailed quickly. Like this... It would take me a month."

Now that was something that Jongin had thought about as well.

"Not if I take you there."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't underestimate the strength of merpeople. I will move the boat with you as you row. I've swum to your coast. It took me about 4 days. Like this, it would probably take us 5 to 6 days with the additional weight of the boat for me to move."

It was still risky, but their only option. Jongin wasn’t even sure when he’d decided to risk his reputation, maybe even his life, but after spotting the boat, the plan had come to him so naturally that he hadn’t started to question his own choices yet.

"That's- what about storms?" Sehun asked, still looking skeptical. However, there seemed to be something like hope blooming in his eyes. It made Jongin’s stomach feel kind of weird, but not in a bad way.

"The sea has been calm lately."

"That's..." Sehun started but Jongin put his index finger over Sehun’s lip to shut him up. The other looked mildly offended but didn’t finish his sentence.

"It's the only way for you to get home. Are you not happy about the boat?" Taking his finger away, Jongin sank into the water to float on his back, still watching Sehun.

"I... I am, Jongin. Thank you. But honestly, I still don't quite understand why you're letting me go."

"I... honestly don't know either. There's just something about you that makes me want you to be happy and not sad." He confessed. At that, Sehun broke out into a small smile again.

"That's surprisingly sweet, considering that you wanted to eat me." He chuckled.

"I didn't want to eat you."

"Well, your people did."

"You're too beautiful to be eaten," Jongin replied, twirling around in the water again and swimming up to Sehun who was staring back at him. Before he could respond to Jongin’s compliment, his stomach growled loudly.

"Talking about food... I'm starving." He admitted, looking down at his stomach sadly.

Totally having forgotten about the net with fruits and vegetables, Jongin reached into the boat and pulled them out, together with some bread he’d found in the little boat. It seemed like someone had wanted to take the boat to make a getaway.

"Oh! I got you food. And there was more on this boat too! Even water! That's good right?"

Sehun started laughing. It was a beautiful sound, freeing and honest. It was evident that Sehun was slowly starting to realize that he was going to go home. It made Jongin happy too.

🌊🌊🌊

They didn’t talk much while Sehun ate. Feeling starved, he ended up scarfing down an apple, a banana, an orange and some of the bread. Just minutes ago, he would have felt scared about eating too much of his precious resources but now that Jongin had offered to help him get back home, he didn’t feel as scared anymore.

Obviously, the trip there was still insanely dangerous. But just like Jongin had explained it, it was his only real option for him to ever get back. The chances of a ship passing this small island were minimal and even if a ship did one day, how long would it take? Now, with the perspective of Jongin helping him to get back to his home country, Sehun started looking at the merman with different eyes.

In general, the stories he’d heard about them did not seem to be entirely true. Whereas some tales described them as insanely beautiful, so beautiful that they could create such longing and desire in you that they lured you to death. In others, they were described as ugly, horrifying creatures with sharp teeth and slimy skin. The man in front of him was none of that, instead leaning more towards the first option. His long dark green tail looked muscular and strong in the water and Sehun didn’t doubt one bit that if they ever had to fight against each other, Jongin would instantly win. While Sehun wasn’t weak, Jongin just looked too strong, even though his physique was still lithe and athletic.

When Sehun put the water bottle down, he caught the merman staring at him. Of course, he’d noticed by now that the man was attracted to him. Why exactly he seemed so obsessed with him, he didn’t know, and he still wasn’t sure what it all meant for him. Although it was nice to get complimented, especially by such a stunning creature, Sehun wasn’t sure if he could really trust Jongin. In the end, he was at his mercy, but at this point, it didn’t seem like Jongin wanted to harm him.

“You’re staring,” Sehun told Jongin when the other’s eyes trailed over his almost naked body, entirely shameless. It made Sehun’s cheeks redden, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious.

“You’re nice to look at. It would be a waste of time not spending it looking at you.” Jongin replied smoothly.

Was he really flirting with Sehun? It made his ears burn flaming red, but he tried to hide any reactions.

“People have told me that, yeah.” He hummed, trying to be nonchalant even though it wasn’t that easy.

“I thought so. I assume you have many lovers at home.”

Now that made Sehun splutter. “What are you talking about, fishman?” He asked, using the word on purpose to annoy the merman.

“Don’t say that! I’m trying to court you and you’re using that offensive term- if you weren’t so…”

“Yeah, yeah, if I weren’t so pretty you would have eaten me probably, I know.”

Jongin didn’t reply immediately, just glaring a little. “Humans are so rude.”

“I don’t know, but sinking a ship doesn’t seem very polite to me either, fishman.”

“Shut up!”

“Make me.”

And that Jongin did, leaping forward to press his lips against Sehun’s, holding his head in place as he kissed him. For a moment, Sehun was entirely still in shock before he began kissing Jongin back, lips naturally following the flow of the kiss.

When they parted, a smirk had formed on Jongin’s lips.

🌊🌊🌊

After their first kiss, Jongin didn’t hesitate much longer. Wrapping his arms around Sehun’s slim waist, he pulled him in for another kiss, letting both of them sink into the water until only their heads were above the water. At some point, Sehun’s arms had wrapped around his neck, holding him in place as their lips moved together, tongues sliding against each other.

“The water is too… deep here.” Sehun breathed between kisses. Before the human realized it, Jongin had maneuvered Sehun closer towards the shore. It was almost too close to being stranded but he could feel how tense Sehun felt against him and he wanted the other to relax so he had to accept that the only water that was touching him was the shallow waves of the shore.

Now that Sehun was lying beneath him, beautiful eyes looking up at him and pretty lips swollen and reddened from their kissing, Jongin needed to use the moment to admire him a little.

“Are you a human prince? Your features are certainly royal.” He told him while he brushed a strand of wet hair out of Sehun’s eyes. The man below him blushed prettily and looked to the side for a moment in embarrassment.

“What are you even talking about…” He mumbled but his words turned into a gasp when Jongin leaned down to press soft, wet kisses against the glistening skin of his neck. Trailing kiss after kiss down his neck to his chest, Jongin took his time to flick Sehun’s nipples with his tongue, all the while caressing his sides with his hands. His waist was so slim compared to his broad shoulders; he was truly gorgeous.

“Jongin-“ Sehun gasped when Jongin’s lips moved even lower. His back arched a little when Jongin’s lips ghosted over the sensitive skin just above his underpants. With satisfaction, he saw a bulge in the other’s underwear, almost see-through due to the water. Leaning up a little, Jongin reached out to cup the man through the fabric, copping a feel of his girth and length. “You’re truly gifted in all areas.” He observed, earning an embarrassed slap from Sehun’s palm against his shoulder.

“Shut up,” Sehun grumbled and Jongin just grinned.

“Make me.”

Sehun would have rolled his eyes if Jongin didn’t reach out to tear apart his underwear in the exact moment just to proceed to grab his half-hard cock, giving him a few experimental strokes.

It seemed like human penises were a little different from merpeople’s, Jongin observed with interest as he enjoyed the smooth slide of Sehun’s cock against his palm.

Sehun was watching him with lidded eyes, one of his own hands playing with his nipples.

Jongin enjoyed the view thoroughly, the now nude man spread out in front of him. His chest was flushed, his hair floating in the shallow water as Sehun looked up at him with parted lips and lidded eyes.

Arousal was clouding his mind, burning in his veins as he leaned in to close the distance between them again, their lips meeting in a messy but passionate kiss.

Soon, he could feel moving hands on his body, moving from his shoulders over to his chest and then down his abs to his groin where his abdominal skin turned into beautiful, iridescent green scales.

Suddenly, Sehun let out a noise of confusion just as hands wrapped around Jongin’s cock. Pulling away, Jongin gave him a questioning look.

“That… that wasn’t there before. Where did it- where did it come from?” Sehun asked, obviously referring to Jongin’s hard cock in his hand.

“There’s a pouch in our tail in the abdominal area. It is only exposed when aroused.” Jongin explained, looking down at where Sehun was giving Jongin’s cock careful strokes. There, at the base of it, the pouch was visible where his cock was extruding from a slit that had stretched around his girth.

“Your cock has… ridges.” Sehun continued, obviously stunned by Jongin’s length. He could hear the arousal in Sehun’s voice and it made him proud, his hips moving just slightly as if to fuck Sehun’s hand. The other let a low moan out, his grip around Jongin tightening.

“How… how do you guys have sex?” Sehun continued to ask, the movements of his hand becoming more steady. Jongin had to resist fucking into his palm again.

“Females have a slit in that area too. And for males… there is another slit below the first one that is longer. You can penetrate the slit just like that of a female.”

“Wow…” Sehun breathed, letting go of his cock just to move his fingers a little lower. A finger brushed against the second slit that Jongin had just mentioned and his cock jerked a little when Sehun inserted a finger.

“I… If I didn’t want you to fuck me so badly with that gorgeous cock of yours, I’d be tempted to fuck you instead.” Sehun mumbled, his fingers gently sliding in and out of Jongin’s slit as if he was scared to hurt him.

“You want me to fuck you?” Precum had gathered at the tip of Jongin’s cock and he moaned quietly at the thought. “Fuck yes, I was hoping for that. Where is your slit?” He asked, automatically assuming that Sehun had one too.

“I.. uh… humans function differently,” Sehun explained, his hand moving to his cock to give himself a couple of strokes before they wandered lower, past his balls and down to his hole.

“You have to stretch me first though, otherwise it will hurt.”

Reaching out, Jongin circled Sehun’s hole with a finger, drawing a low moan from the other’s lips. Experimentally, he pushed his index finger inside, mesmerized by the tightness. He’d never felt something like this around his finger, it was an entirely different feeling than entering another merperson.

“Fuck, you’re so tight…” He breathed, beginning to slowly move his finger inside of Sehun. He made sure to watch his facial expressions to see if he was hurting him but so far, Sehun seemed to be enjoying himself.

The second finger followed not much later. After Sehun had explained that he needed some kind of lubricant, Jongin had happily explained that mermen’s precum could be used as a lubricant so he coated his fingers with the precum that had been steadily leaking from his cock.

Slowly and carefully, he stretched Sehun open. After adding a third finger and eventually a fourth, Sehun was almost begging him to finally fuck him. His hips were rolling back where Jongin was fucking him with his fingers, Sehun’s cock red and flushed as it laid on his flat stomach. It was the sexiest thing Jongin had ever seen and he was sure he would never forget this moment.

However, when he reached out to position himself against Sehun’s hole before slowly pushing into the tight heat.

Jongin let out a low groan when he felt Sehun’s walls clenching around it, but Sehun downright moaned when Jongin had finally bottomed out.

“Fuck- the ridges-“ Sehun whined as Jongin pulled back out again. Jongin knew exactly what he was talking about, the ridges of his cock brushing against Sehun’s walls with every single stroke of his cock.

Slowly, they began to build up a rhythm. Moan after moan spilled from Sehun’s lips. His eyes had fluttered shut, a blissed-out expression on his face as Jongin’s hips slapped against his ass.

All of a sudden, Jongin reached out and hoisted Sehun up, flipping them over so that now he was at the bottom and Sehun was sitting on top of him. Immediately, Sehun began rolling his hips to match the movement of his thrusts, their arms wrapped tightly around each other as their lips met in a heated kiss.

Jongin could feel himself getting closer to the edge, a familiar tight heat building in his groin. Judging by Sehun’s noises and the way his moves became more and more erratic, he seemed to be close too. Reaching between them, Jongin wrapped a hand around Sehun’s cock, still excited by how easy the slide of his palm was without the ridges on his cock. Like this, it took only a few more thrusts until Sehun was tipping over the edge, his face burying against Jongin’s neck to muffle his cries of pleasure as hot cum spilled between them, sticking to Jongin’s glistening skin for a moment before it was washed away by the next wave.

At the feeling of Sehun’s walls clenching around him, Jongin only lasted one more thrust before he buried himself deeply in Sehun, coating his insides with his cum as a low, melodious moan fell from his lips.

Their hearts were still pounding when their lips met again, their kiss this time lazy and sloppy but still just as perfect. When Sehun lifted his hips so that Jongin’s cock could slip out, they both let out low groans at feeling sensitive. The waves had already washed away most traces of what they’d just done, but Jongin could still feel the touch of Sehun’s lips against his lips even when they were no longer kissing.

🌊🌊🌊

They slept with each other again two more times, the next time right after the first round. After that, they took a short break, a naked Sehun sitting in the shallow water with Jongin’s head on his lap so that the other could be a little more in the water but they could still be close to each other.

As Sehun was looking down at the beautiful merman, his fingers running through his emerald hair, he wondered how he’d ended up like this.

It certainly wasn’t a regretful thought, just one full of wonder. After sleeping with each other again, they’d decided to leave in the night. Jongin had suggested that it was best to use the night so they made sure that no merpeople would notice them since they would all still be busy with the festivities. Sehun didn’t question Jongin’s suggestion. As a sailor, Sehun knew the ocean well, but to Jongin, this was his home. He knew it like the inside of his pocket and Sehun would be stupid not to rely on that.

They slept with each other again under the stars, Jongin’s lips wrapped around his cock to suck him to completion before he returned the favor. They fell asleep after that for a while, waking up about two hours later when Jongin shook Sehun awake to tell him that it was time to leave.

By the time the sun was rising, they were already far away from the little island that had become their secret escape for a few hours.

🌊🌊🌊

The journey was exhausting, but at the same time, it was the most beautiful time Sehun had ever experienced. They were lucky with the weather, no storms rising up as Sehun rowed and Jongin pushed the boat with strong strokes of his tail. When they took breaks they spent them kissing or taking swims in the ocean together. One afternoon, some dolphins joined them. Jongin was so comfortable with them and Sehun wasn’t sure if he was dreaming as he watched the merman swim and play with them.

It sounded crazy, but Sehun’s heart was filled with contrasting feelings when his eyes made out the coast of his country at the edge of the horizon. On one hand, he couldn’t believe that they’d actually made it. They’d been on the sea together for six days, spending every waking hour with each other without ever growing sick of each other. Arriving at the shore would bring an end to this precious time and Sehun kind of wasn’t ready to let go yet. On the other hand, he was so incredibly ecstatic that they’d made it. He hadn’t died somewhere on the ocean, lost in a storm on the sea. He was going to see his parents again, drink with his friends again- but he then realized that this reality was one that seemingly did not have space for a merman in it.

The thought made a lump form in his throat, and he grew quiet while Jongin babbled about some fishes that seemed to be swimming underneath the boat.

🌊🌊🌊

The coast got closer and closer. Jongin was beginning to make out distinctive shapes of ships and houses. He’d never been this close to the coast, the danger of being caught by a fisher’s net ever-present. But for Sehun, he wanted to get closer to the shore, see how far he could make it without being caught.

When he looked up at Sehun in the boat, he smiled at him. Sehun smiled back, but there was something about his smile again that reminded him of the day where he’d lost his crew.

There was a sadness in his eyes, and suddenly Jongin understood.

He understood because he felt it too.

🌊🌊🌊

They waited until night had fallen upon them to cover the last few hundred meters to make it to the shore.

It was probably in the early morning hours when Sehun felt the earth beneath his feet again for the very first time in days. While it felt like it had been forever, Sehun also couldn’t comprehend how quickly time had passed in those hours spent with Jongin. There was light coming from a small village near the beach they’d decided to steer towards. It would have been incredibly stupid to head right for the port so they went off their course a little, instead choosing a lonely beach with a small village nearby as their destination. They’d spotted it back when they’d still been quite a bit away from the shore and he and Jongin had deemed it as the perfect spot.

A full moon was illuminating the beach, tinting everything in a ghostly sheen. The scales of Jongin’s tail glimmered in the moonlight and Sehun couldn’t tear his eyes away from him.

This was goodbye, but he wasn’t ready to let go yet.

“We made it,” Jongin told Sehun, looking at Sehun from where he was sitting on one of the rocks in the shore. The beach was littered with large rocks, some of them on the sand, most of them in the water. They were perfect for Jongin to lounge on and Sehun took a few steps back into the water to be closer to him again.

Jongin scooted over a little when Sehun came towards him, making some space for him on the rock.

When they were both seated comfortably, Sehun’s hand almost naturally found its way into Jongin’s, their fingers lacing together.

Silence filled the clear air of the night between. Above them, a billion stars illuminated the night sky. There were words that needed to be said, but none of them could find them, put them into sentences that made sense. There were no words that did justice to what they were feeling in these minutes.

“There’s a tale my people tell the children.” Jongin’s soft, melodious voice joined the sound of the waves.

_ “Once upon a time, there was a young merman prince. He was an adventurous one, a prince that ignored the rules that he was about to preach someday. He often disappeared for a few days, exploring foreign parts of the sea in which no merperson had ventured yet. One day, he went too far though. _

_ Having gotten too close to the shore, two fishermen caught the young prince with one of their nets. Struggling against his confinements, the prince only continued to be more tangled up. The fishermen were ecstatic, feeling the intense tugging in their net. They believed they must have caught a big fish, something that would bring them a lot of money and feed them for days. When they pulled the net into their small boat, they were shocked to find the young prince staring at them, hissing and his tail thrashing around. The two fishermen, a young man in his early twenties and his father, were shocked to see a merman instead of a large fish. The young man’s father was so shocked that he blacked out, leaving only the young man to deal with the prince. When the young fisherman grabbed a knife, the merprince gave him a kick with his tail, almost sending overboard. The prince was told to have believed that he’d thought the fisherman would kill him. But after recuperating for a moment, the young fisherman cut the net open instead. “You can leave.” He told the prince, putting the knife down again to show him he didn’t mean harm. At first, the prince had believed it was a trap. But then he began to understand that the fisherman did not want to hurt him and the prince stopped struggling. _

_ “Why are you not killing me?” The prince asked, only having heard violent stories about humans all his life. _

_ “We’re just here to fish. Why should I kill you? You have not done us any harm. Get back into the ocean and be mindful of our other nets.” The young fisherman told him gently. _

_ The prince wasn’t sure what to say to that, but he just nodded. With the help of the prince, he was able to slip off of the boat and back into the ocean. Just before disappearing beneath the surface, he looked at the human again. _

_ “I am in your debt, young fisherman. A prince never goes back on his word.” _

_ With that, the prince disappeared to return to the palace. _

_ From that day on, he kept returning to the bay where he’d been caught every single day. He had never told anybody about being captured, and he knew it was stupid to return to the spot where he could have died, but something about the young fisherman had just drawn him in. _

_ Every day, he would look out for the boat. He never showed up when the young man’s father was around too, but whenever he spotted only the young man in the boat, he would swim up to him, this time minding the nets. _

_ They never talked. Sometimes, the young fisherman would throw a fish he’d caught in the water for the prince to eat. Sometimes the prince would steer fishes underwater into the young man’s net. They never talked about it. _

_ Until one day, they broke their new routine. _

_ A storm had formed within mere minutes that fateful day. It was one of those days where the young man was alone on the boat again. The prince had been floating in the water with some distance from the boat when he’d noticed the waves growing stronger, a wind coming up. In just minutes, they were in the middle of a strong storm, the tiny boat of the young fisherman being thrown from wave to wave as if it were a toy boat. A particularly strong wave finally turned the boat over. _

_ In a matter of seconds, the young man had been swallowed by the waves. Underwater, it was hard for the prince to see, the water creating currents. But then he spotted something dark ahead of him. He pulled the young man out of the water and carried him to the shore, almost drowning in the process himself. They both passed out when they reached the shore. The following morning, they both woke up next to each other, the sailor on the beach and the prince next to him. The fisherman soon realized that the prince had saved his life, but before he could properly thank him, he helped him back into the ocean once again. _

_ “I guess we’re even now.” The prince told the young fisherman. _

_ “I guess we are. Thank you for saving my life.” _

_ “I would do it again.” The prince replied. _

_ From that day on, the young prince visited the fisherman not only on the sea but always made sure he got home safely back to the shore too.” _

A shooting star in the sky caught Jongin’s and Sehun’s eyes as Jongin finished telling the story.

Turning his head to look at Sehun, he smiled.  _ “ _ The legend says that in foggy nights, you can still see the apparition of the young fisherman’s boat float near the coast of this exact beach. And if you look even closer, you can see the ghost of the young prince accompany him to the shore to make sure he arrives safely.”

For a moment, Sehun let Jongin’s words sink in. Only after a minute, he spoke up again.

“That is beautiful, Jongin. I love the story. It’s so… pure.”

He wondered if the story was known to some humans as well. It was one he would never forget and it was a story worth passing on.

“The reason why I told this story is… I want us to be the prince and the fisherman. But in our version. The royal guard and the sailor. I am not ready to let you go yet, Sehun.” Jongin reached out to gently cup his cheek, their eyes meeting.

“When the shooting star passed just now, I wished for something. I wished for us to become such a tale as well, a tale of soulmates that never lost sight of each other again. I could not live with the thought of letting you go again, Sehun.”

“Jongin-“ Sehun breathed, his eyes suddenly burning with unshed tears.

“I wished that we could become the legacy of the prince and the fisherman. Wherever you go, Sehun, I will follow. I will come to visit you and I will wait for you until you come to see me too. I will wait forever if that means that I just get the chance to see you again.”

“I want that too, Jongin,” Sehun mumbled. Their foreheads touched, his eyes fluttering shut. A single tear ran down his cheek, the salty taste of it on his lips reminding him of the waves, reminding him of Jongin.

“I will make sure that our love will last as long as the sun still rises every day,” Jongin whispered. Reaching behind himself, he pulled something out of a small bag. It was the pearl he’d gotten from Baekhyun back when he’d showed Jongin the boat, gleaming softly in the moonlight. It was almost as if it was glowing from the inside and when Jongin softly let it glide into Sehun’s palm, he smiled.

“Keep this. And whenever you miss me, know that I will always come back to you.”

For a moment, Sehun’s eyes lingered on the gorgeous pearl, taking in its beauty. Then, his eyes searched for Jongin’s.

Softly, their lips met in a kiss. When they parted again, Sehun was smiling, eyes shining brighter than the reflection of the moon on the nightly sea.

“And maybe one day, people will tell our story too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Some headcanons to finish this off:  
> \- Sehun decided not to return to being a sailor anymore, at least not for large ships. After returning to his home city for a few days to settle some things, he tells his parents and friends that he will be moving to a small village at the sea. It is the village of the beach where Jongin and him arrived and soon, he begins his new life there, actually becoming a fisherman to earn some money  
> \- Jongin visits him as often as possible. Depending on the water currents, he makes it to Sehun and back in under 3 days and they spend day and night together when he returns to him  
> \- sometimes, he brings Sehun pretty shells and pieces of corals as little gifts, in return Sehun gifts Jongin human food (that the other surprisingly likes a lot) and handcrafted knives and other tools  
> \- one night, they spot the ghost boat of the fisherman and the prince. For some reason, their silhouettes look eerily familiar. However, before they can get close enough to see their faces, the apparition vanishes
> 
> As always, you can find a moodboard [here](url) ✨ 
> 
> And that's about it for now! Let me know what you guys think about the fic in the comments and by leaving Kudos, I'd really appreciate it. I took a little break from writing and I'm looking forward to read your feedback to my first longer fic after the smol hiatus. Also, pls be safe, practice social distancing and wear a mask! Thank you ♥️


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